HIGHLIGHTS

Benedict Cumberbatch’s transgender role already controversial

15 years later, sequel faces a much-changed cultural climate

Barely three weeks after the attacks of 9/11, Ben Stiller’s comedy “Zoolander” arrived in theaters. At the time, light entertainment seemed so inappropriate that Hollywood was postponing the release of movies like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s action-flick “Collateral Damage.” It was hard to say what, if anything, moviegoers wanted to see, but Stiller’s spoof of the vapid fashion industry didn’t necessarily seem a safe bet.

“There have been articles lately asking why the United States is so hated in some parts of the world. As this week’s Exhibit A from Hollywood, I offer ‘Zoolander,’ ” Roger Ebert wrote in his scathing, one-star review. He called the movie “offensive” and “tasteless.”

Ebert was in the minority on that one. The story of Derek Zoolander, a brainless model-turned-assassin played by Stiller with peacock hair and a glam-rock pucker, “Zoolander” pleased most critics and earned $60 million at the box-office at a time when most movies were tanking badly. Thanks to home video and cable, the movie went on to become a modern classic. Fifteen years later, “Zoolander 2” arrives on screens on Feb. 12 facing high expectations and a much-changed cultural climate.

“Zoolander” was in some ways a response to the decade that preceded it, the zeitgeist-less 1990s. It was an economically optimistic period, driven partly by gee-whiz changes in technology (reflected in “Zoolander” by Derek’s absurdly tiny cellphone), but the ’90s were also culturally superficial, marked by the rise of cable entertainment channels, supermodel celebrities like Claudia Schiffer and non-celebrities like Paris Hilton (who makes a cameo in the film). It’s no accident that “Zoolander” began life as two short spoofs for the VH1 Fashion Awards in the mid-1990s.

Those skits, in 1996 and 1997, contained the kernels of the Zoolander character, an amiable airhead whose only assets are high cheekbones and a toned physique. Much of the humor comes from Derek’s difficulty to perform simple tasks — walking, turning — and the fact that his various facial expressions (nicknamed Ferrari and Blue Steel) are actually indistinguishable. Given that Stiller mocked male models as unable to form complete sentences, he went over like gangbusters with the fashion industry itself. The second short featured a cameo from Dutch model Mark Vanderloo, reportedly an inspiration for the Zoolander name.

That’s a testament to Stiller’s ability to mix merciless satire with a sweetness of spirit, which came through even stronger in the film. (Stiller directed and co-wrote with Drake Sather, who helped create the VH1 skits, and John Hamburg, whose credits include Stiller’s “Meet the Parents.”) The film’s premise actually hits the fashion industry quite hard: When the prime minister of Malaysia promises to end child labor, a cabal of designers, led by an unseen “Giorgio,” plots to have him killed. Otherwise, wails one, “We’ll all go bankrupt within a year!”

Nevertheless, fashion heavyweights like Tom Ford and Tommy Hilfiger agreed to appear as themselves in the film. And as time went on, the industry seemed to embrace characters like the blathering Zen model Hansel (Owen Wilson) and the evil designer Mugatu (Will Ferrell), whose homeless-inspired fashion line Derelicte was based on a very real line by John Galliano. “I was thrilled to say yes to Ben,” designer Marc Jacobs told Vanity Fair about playing himself in the upcoming sequel. “I thought the first one was hilarious.”

What’s important about the Zoolander character is that he’s never truly nasty, just overly pampered and blithely elitist. The film even portrays him as a Billy Elliot type, an outcast born into a coal-mining family (played by Jon Voight, Judah Friedlander and an unspeaking, uncredited Vince Vaughn) who are deeply ashamed of his natural beauty. We also see Zoolander repeatedly struggle with an existential question: “Did you ever think that maybe there’s more to life,” he asks his roommates, “than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?”

All of this resonated with audiences after 9/11 and beyond, making “Zoolander” an oft-quoted comedy along the lines of “Office Space,” “The Big Lebowski” and “Anchorman.” Some of the things that worked in the first film, however, may not work in the sequel. Another cameo by Donald Trump, for instance, now a highly divisive presidential candidate, probably wouldn’t get the same laughs. And a new character named All, a transgender model played by Benedict Cumberbatch, has already raised objections from the LGBT community.

At any rate, it’s hard to blame Stiller for wanting to follow up one of his most beloved films. Eventually, the movie even won over Roger Ebert. “To his credit, I ran into him like five or six years later,” Stiller told The Hollywood Reporter in 2013. “He said, ‘Hey, I just want to apologize to you. I wrote that about “Zoolander,” and I think it’s really funny.’ ”

‘Zoolander 2’: What we know

Ben Stiller’s “Zoolander 2” arrives 15 years after his much-loved first film, in which he spoofed the fashion industry as the dim-bulb male model Derek Zoolander alongside Owen Wilson as the spacey Hansel. While the pre-release campaign has been long and widespread — Stiller has appeared in character for a Fiat commercial, on the cover of Vogue, in Vanity Fair photographed by Annie Leibovitz and in the window of a Valentino store in Rome — details about the film itself have been kept somewhat under wraps. Here are five things we know so far about “Zoolander 2:”

PENÉLOPE CRUZ PLAYS VALENTINA VALENCIA

We’re told this character is a motorcycle-riding secret agent, but that’s about it. Cruz has said she’s a major fan of the first film — she’s seen it several times — and jumped at the chance to take a break from her usual serious dramatic roles.

MUGATU IS BACK

Will Ferrell’s insanely-haired fashion designer Mugatu (a somewhat early role for the comedian) returns, and he could be the villain behind a plot to kill the world’s most beautiful people — who apparently include Justin Bieber and Usher.

FILMING TOOK PLACE IN ROME

According to Vanity Fair, much of the shoot took place there over three-and-a-half months in 2015, including at the famous Cinecitta Studios as well as all around the city. “We shot in the tunnels, at night, in these places where they don’t even do tours,” Cruz told the magazine.

CARA DELEVIGNE MAY HAVE A CAMEO

The 23-year-old British model turned actress (“Paper Towns,” the upcoming “Suicide Squad”) was seen posing with Stiller and Wilson — in character — in Rome, leading to speculation that she would appear in the film. No official word yet, and as of now the actress is not listed in the movie’s cast on IMdB.

PEOPLE ARE REALLY EXCITED FOR BILLY ZANE

For some reason, Zane’s original role as Zoolander’s tough but well-meaning friend — he’s the guy who tries to stop the male-model “walk-off” — became one of the first film’s best-liked characters. Stiller announced Zane’s return on Instagram, a bit of news that was gobbled up by the trades and greeted with cheers by film sites.